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Castroville, California

Castroville
census-designated place
Castroville Sign and La Scuola on Merritt Street
Castroville Sign and La Scuola on Merritt Street
Nickname(s): "The Artichoke Center of the World"
Location in Monterey County and the state of California
Location in Monterey County and the state of California
Castroville is located in the US
Castroville
Castroville
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 36°45′57″N 121°45′29″W / 36.76583°N 121.75806°W / 36.76583; -121.75806Coordinates: 36°45′57″N 121°45′29″W / 36.76583°N 121.75806°W / 36.76583; -121.75806
Country  United States
State  California
County Monterey
Founded 1863
Government
 • Type N/A
 • State senator Bill Monning (D)
 • Assemblymember Mark Stone (D)
 • U. S. Congress Jimmy Panetta (D)
Area
 • Total 1.057 sq mi (2.737 km2)
 • Land 1.057 sq mi (2.737 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation 23 ft (7 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 6,481
 • Density 6,100/sq mi (2,400/km2)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 95012
Area code(s) 831
FIPS code 06-11978
GNIS feature ID 277486

Castroville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 6,481.

The site of the community was originally part of Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo, a 30,901-acre (125.05 km2) Mexican land grant given in 1844 by Manuel Micheltorena, Governor of Alta California, to María Antonia Pico de Castro. After the 1848 cession of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, Juan Bautista Castro, son of María Antonia Pico de Castro, founded Castroville in 1863.

Castroville is known for its artichoke crop and for the annual Castroville Artichoke Festival, leading to its nickname as the "Artichoke Center of the World".

Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo was a 30,901 acre Mexican land grant given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Maria Antonia Pico de Castro (Juan Bautista Castro's Mother.)

The Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo is a combination of three land grants. "Rancho Moro Cojo," granted by Governor Luis Antonio Arguello in 1825. The second is "Rancho Bolsa Nueva," by Governnor Mariano Chico in 1836. The third was granted by Governor Juan Alvarado to Simeon Castro (Juan Bautista Castro's Father) in 1837.

Lake Merritt and the sloughs were popular for fishing and hunting. The area around Castroville was crisscrossed by a network of sloughs and swamps.

In the 1840s, mapmaker Duflot de Mofras, wrote, "A few leagues before reaching the "Pajaro River", an area measuring a few hundred meters where the round trembles under the horses feet, although the earth is hard and covered by turf, is encountered.

The land is probably formed by a solid crust superimposed on a vast miry base."


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